Christmas tree stand



Sept. 1, 1970 Filed Dec. 13. 1967- K. SCHWAD ERLAPP CHRISTMAS TREE STAND II N) 8 E lhllhhh 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 p 1, 1970 K. SCHWADERLAPP 3,525,379

CHRISTMAS TREE STAND 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 13 .1967

FIG.4

FIG.3

United States Patent 3,526,379 CHRISTMAS TREE STAND Kurt Schwaderlapp, Baumbach, Westerwald, and Anton Schoplocher, Ransbach-Baumbach, Germany, assignors to Jasba-Keramikfabriken, Jakob Schwaderlapp K.G., Baumbach, Germany, a corporation of Germany Filed Dec. 13, 1967, Ser. No. 690,283 Int. Cl. A47g 33/12 US. Cl. 248-44 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A Christmas tree stand comprises a holder ring with radial set screws for fastening the tree trunk in the ring, and a container or pot to be filled with water into which the trunk end is to be submerged. Radially protruding arm structures are attached to the ring and have their outer ends engage the container wall, preferably by catching into one or more recesses. In one type of stand, the arm structures are elastic and extend from the ring in a downwardly inclined direction so that the weight of the tree tends to spread the arm ends outwardly into reliable engagement with the container. In another type of stand, the arm structures are substantially rigid and engage respective helical recesses which extend downwardly from the rim of the container.

Our invention relates to Christmas tree stands of the type equipped with a pot or the like container for water into which the lower end of the tree trunk is to be submerged when the tree is mounted in the stand by fastening the trunk in a holder ring.

It is known to provide such Christmas stands with ringshaped inserts for attaching the tree and to have these inserts resiliently held against the inner wall of the container. Water containers with a narrowed neck require complicated inserts which are sometimes difiicult to attach and which are held with the aid of spreader rings or screws. It has been found preferable therefore to use a water container with a straight cylindrical inner wall against which the resilient arms of the insert will abut. Such an insert can be removed from the container with relative ease.

According to another proposal the arms of the insert are firmly joined with the container by screw connections which form extensions of the arms and are to be screwed into a catch at the inner wall of the container.

It is an object of our invention to provide a watercontaining stand for Christmas trees into which the appertaining tree-holding insert ring with its radial arms can be readily inserted regardless of the shape of the water container proper and independently of the inclination of its wall surface and which permits inserting and reliably fastening the Christmas tree without any manual dexterity; and it is a conjoint object of the invention to make such a tree stand readily producible as an article of mass production in a simple and inexpensive manner.

Another object of the invention is to provide a watercontaining Christmas tree stand which, aside from meeting the objects already mentioned, affords a particularly safe mounting of the tree and of the insert in the water container by utilizing for improved reliability the action of the weight of the tree.

To achieve these objects, and in accordance with a feature of our invention, we provide the pot or water container of a Christmas tree stand generally of the type mentioned above, with catch means, preferably one or more recesses, and give the arm structures that extend from the tree holder ring radially toward the inner wall of the container such a shape and length that their respective radially outermost ends are engageable with the catch or recess means at points lower than the points where the arm structures are attached to the holder ring. The arm structures thus define a downwardly inclined direction from the holder ring to the catch of recess means of the container whereby the weight of the tree imposes upon the radially outermost ends of the arm structures a spreading force urging them to maintain or increase the engagement with the container wall.

According to another, more specific and preferred feature of our invention, the radial arm structures of the insert extend from the holder ring in a downwardly inclined direction to the inner wall of the water container and thence inwardly and upwardly to the center axis of the container so as to form an acute angle at the point of engagement with the recess in the container wall. The inwardly and upwardly extending portions of the arm structures merge with each other at the center of the container at some height above the container bottom.

The ends of the arms joined together on the center axis of the container form the support for the cut face of the tree trunk. One or more of these arm ends may directly form a point which pierces into the cut face of the trunk when the trunk is put into the container, or the ends can be joined together by a riveted center thorn in a single riveting operation. When the tree is set into the ring, the weight of the tree forces the lower portions of the arms in the downward direction and thus spreads them apart. This causes the radial arm structures to firmly abut against the inner wall of the container at the apex of the acute angle which becomes slightly enlarged by the spreading action.

For aiding this action, the inner wall of the container is provided with catch means above the bottom, preferably with a peripheral groove, which prevents an inadvertent escape of the insert. Such a groove or a corresponding bulge to serve as a catch into or behind which the radially outer ends of the arms are securely held, affords a most reliable seating of the tree.

It has been found most economical to compose the insert of such a tree stand exclusively of punched or cut sheet metal components.

The radial arms in the embodiment described above are fastened to the holder ring at the upper end of the arm structures by means of riveted nuts which are to receive the radial set screws for fastening the tree trunk in the ring, whereas the other ends of the radial arms are joined with each other above the bottom of the water container by the above-mentioned thorn that is to pierce into the cut face of the tree trunk.

If the opening of the water container has a smaller diameter than the bottom, the radial arms can be articulated at the apex of the above-mentioned angle or they may be designed as plug connections so that they can be easily plugged into the ring.

According to further, alternative features of the invention, the radial arm structures extend from the holder ring to a recess located in the container wall at some height above the bottom, while the thorn or point for piercing into the trunk and thereby centering the tree is separately mounted on, or assembled with, the container. In such devices, too, it is preferable to have the radial arms and their respective radially outermost ends so located that the weight of the tree produces an outwardly spreading force to more reliably secure the desired fastening engagement with the container.

According to a further, alternative feature of the invention, the radial arm structures of the insert are more or less rigid and are engageable with helical or bayonettype grooves of the water container so that the ring can be joined with the container by a twisting motion about its axis, and the weight of the tree will force the ends of the arms more deeply into the helical recesses or against the lowermost end of these recesses.

The "above-mentioned and further objects, advantages and features of the invention, said features being set forth with particularity in the claims annexed hereto, will be apparent from, and will be described in the following with reference to embodiments of Christmas tree stands according to the invention illustrated by way of example on the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a first embodiment, and

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the same embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of part of another embodiment.

FIG. 4 shows in section and partially a third embodiment, and

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the third embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a horizontal section relating to a modification of the water container applicable in a tree stand otherwise corresponding to FIGS. 1 and 2; and

FIG. 7 shows partially a section along the line VII- VII in FIG. 6.

The Christmas tree stand shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises an insert 1 mounted in a straight cylindrical and upwardly open water container 2 which may consist, for example, of a pot of ceramic material, although other materials are also applicable. The inner wall of the container 2 has a peripheral recess 3 which forms a groove along the bottom and serves to receive the radially outermost end portions 14 of the insert. These end portions are formed by three arm structures radially protruding from a holder ring 12 and spaced 120 from each other. Each arm structure has an upper portion 4 and a lower portion 5 forming an acute angle with each other at whose apex the end portion 14 is shaped to a nose which may resiliently catch into the groove 3. The inner ends 13 of the lower arm portions 5 overlap one another on the center axis of the ring 12 and have each a bore traversed by an inserted thorn 7 with the aid of which the ends 13 are riveted together. The upper ends 9 of the upper arm portions 4 are fastened to the holder ring 12 by respective riveted nuts 10. These nuts are in threaded engage ment with radial set screws 11 for secur ly fastening the inserted tree trunk 8 in the ring. By slightly pressing the thorn 7 upwardly, the arm structures can be drawn inwardly a sufficient extent to permit easily inserting the insert into the container. Once the noses 14 have caught into the groove 3, the weight of the inserted tree, then resting upon the thorn 7, which pierces into the cut face of the trunk and keeps it in the center position, imposes a spreading action upon the radial arms so that the respective noses 14 are firmly forced into the groove 3, thereby reliably joining the insert 1 with the container 2. For mounting the trunk in vertical position, the set screws 11 are to be tightened in the usual manner.

The above-described insert is composed of sheet-metal strips. The radial arms 4, 5 are sharply bent to form the acute angle with its apex at 14, no welding being necessary.

The same insert is equally well applicable with water containers of diiferent, for example hexagonal cross section, thus aifording various possibilities of giving the device different shapes.

The shape of the water container may also widen or narrow in the upward direction. In the latter case, the upper and lower portions 4, 5 of the radial arms may be articulately joined at the radially outward ends or apexes 14. Since the trunk with its cut end face is held above the bottom of the container, the weight of the tree will always impose a spreading efiect on the radial arms so that the insert is firmly secured to the container regardless of the particular shape of the container. With containers that taper in the upward direction, a particular catch recess such as a groove or bulge may be dispensed with.

All

The spreading insert, when used with ceramic containers, has the advantage that tolerances or inaccuracies due to a nonuniform shrinkage are not detrimental and that the container bottom is protected from unskilled insertion of the tree.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the holder ring 24 with the radial fastening screws 11 is provided with three radial arms 25 which predominantly extend in a horizontal plane but are bent downwardly at their respective end so as to form a nose 26 at the radially outer end located beneath the point where the arm 25 is joined with the ring 24. The nose 26 catches into a recess 23 of the water container 22 whose bottom has a circular bulge 27 concentric to the container vertical axis. A pan 29 of metal is inserted into the hollow defined by the bulge 27 and carries the centrally located thorn 7. Due to the fact that the point of attachment 28 of the arm 25 at the holder ring 24 is located above the nose 26, the arm defines between points 28 and 26 a downwardly inclined direction so that the Weight of the tree fastened in the holder ring 24 will provide for the above-mentioned spreading action which forces the nose 26 of each arm firmly into the corresponding recess 23.

While in the embodiments so far described the radial arm structures are resilient in order to snap into the catch formed on the inner wall of the water container, the corresponding arm 35 in the device shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 are of much more limited resiliency or may be substantially rigid. Each of these arms has an upper portion 35 secured to the holder ring 34, and a lower portion 36 which touches the bottom of the container 32 and is joined at its innermost end with the lower portions of the other arms. Each arm thus forms a loop, and this loop is bent to a nose 37 which protrudes in the radially outward direction and is engageable with a slot 33 that extends helically from the rim of the water container in the downward direction, ending some distance above the bottom of the container.

The centrally located ends of the lower partions 36 overlap each other and are joined by riveting or welding. The end located on top is bent upwardly and given a pointed shape so as to form a thorn 38 for centering the trunk.

Some amount of spreading may also be utilized in this device if the nose 37 is located below the holder ring 34. However, the arm structure may also be substantially rigid because it can be readily joined with the water container 32 by a twisting movement with the three noses 37 entering through the top opening of the respective grooves 33; and the weight of the tree will then reliably force the assembly in the downward direction and hence toward or against the lowermost end of the helical grooves 37.

While reference is made in the foregoing to recesses and grooves which extend along the entire inner periphery of the water container, it should be understood that shorter recesses or corresponding bulges may be provided instead. For example, 'FIGS. 6 and 7 show a modified water container 2 applicable in a device as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Instead of providing the container with a groove along the entire inner periphery, this container has three angularly spaced cavities 43 for engagement by the re spective catch noses 14 of the insert. This modification is of advantage in cases where greater strength of the container, such as a pot of ceramic material, is desired.

To those skilled in the art, it will be obvious from a study of this disclosure that our invention permits of various modifications that may be given embodiments other than particularly illustrated and described herein, without departing from the essential features of the invention and within the scope of the claims annexed hereto.

We claim:

1. A Christmas tree stand comprising a pot-shaped water container, centering means disposed in said container and engageable with the end of the tree trunk, an insert fully receivable within and removably joinable with said container, said insert having a holder ring with means for fastening the tree trunk therein and radially protruding arm structures attached to said ring, said container having its peripheral inner wall provided with catch means comprising at least one recess formed in said container wall, and said arm structures having respective radially outermost ends engageable in said recess and defining a downwardly inclined direction from said ring toward said recess so that the weight of the tree imposes an outwardly spreading force upon said radially outermost ends.

2. In a tree stand according to claim 1, said arm structures being springy for resilient engagement of said ends with said recess.

3. In a tree stand according to claim 1, said recess forming a peripheral groove in said inner wall.

4. A tree stand according to claim 1, having a total of three of said arm structures uniformly spaced angularly from each other, and said recess being constituted by a peripheral groove near the bottom of said container.

5. A Christmas tree stand comprising a pot-shaped water container, an insert fully receivable within and removably joinable with said container, said insert having a holder ring with means for fastening the tree trunk in said ring, flexible arm structures attached to said ring and protruding radially therefrom, each of said arm structures having an upper portion extending in a downwardly inclined direction from said ring to the inner wall of said container and having a lower portion which extends from said wall in an upwardly inclined direction toward the axis of said ring and forms with said upper portion an acute angle whose apex lies at the radially most outward end of said arm structure, said water container having its periheral inner wall provided with catch means comprising a recess formed in said container wall and receiv ing said outward ends of said arm structures therein, said lower portions of said arm structures having respective innermost ends joined together on said axis at a place spaced from the bottom of said container, and centering means located on said innermost ends and engageable with the end of the tree trunk, whereby the weight of the inserted tree causes said outward ends of said arm structures to be spread against the container wall.

6. In a tree stand according to claim 5, said fastening means comprising nuts for threaded engagement by respective set screws, said nuts forming respective rivets which join each nut as well as said upper portion of one of said respective arm structures to said holder ring, and said centering means being formed by a thorn riveted to said lower portions of said arm structures so as to join them together.

7. In a tree stand according to claim 5, at least one of said innermost ends having a tip pointed upwardly so as to form said centering means engageable with the tree trunk.

8. A Christmas tree stand comprising a pot-shaped water container having helical grooves extending in its inner peripheral wall from the rim downwardly and being spaced angularly from each other, centering means disposed in said container and engageable with the trunk end of a tree, an insert remova-bly seated in said container and having a holder ring with means for fastening the tree trunk in the ring, said insert having arm structures fastened to said holder ring and protruding radially therefrom, each of said arm structures having a radially outward end portion engageable with one of said respective grooves, whereby said insert is insertable by rotary motion into said container.

9. In a tree stand according to claim 8, said arm structures being substantially rigid.

10. In a tree stand according to claim 8, each of said arm structures forming a loop having an upper portion extending radially away from said ring and a lower portion ending in the center at the bottom of said container, said loop having a radially protruding nose engageable with one of said respective recesses, said centering means being located in the center on the ends of said lower portions.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 803,308 10/1905 'Riek 248-46 2,171,228 8/1939 Schulz et al. 248-44 2,630,994 3/1953 Dicoskey 248-44 3,250,504 5/ 1966 Schwaderlapp 248-44 FOREIGN PATENTS 206,207 1/ 1940 Switzerland.

IROY D. ERAZIER, Primary Examiner F. DOMOTOR, Assistant Examiner 

